Baby Wakes Up From Coma – French Doctors Recommend Switching Off Life Support

If not a miracle, then what else? Family’s faith and persistence pays off when doctors had given up hope – baby comes out of coma against mounting odds

This is a story that will touch even the hardest of hearts; a story of an unrelenting family especially the father, who fought against all odds to keep his baby alive for as long as possible, on life support system, and even sought legal help in this regard.

The court granted a two-month extension against the opinion of doctors that life support should be switched off as the baby would never be able to breathe on her own, and would struggle to walk or eat, or even perform normal day to day functions for the rest of her life.

Marwa, the one-year-old baby in question, was in a medically induced coma since September battling a potentially deadly virus that attacks the nervous system. It was two months down the line when she did not come out of the induced coma, that doctors suggested it would be in her interest to switch off all life support because even if she did wake up she would have ‘severe problems’.

Marwa’s parents, however, were resolute in keeping her alive and started an online campaign called, “Not without my Marwa” and were able to collect 114,000 signatures in support of their cause. This may have prompted the court officials to grant Marwa a two-month extension on life support at the La Timone Hospital in Marseille, France.

Baby Marwa opens her eyes after spending months in a coma (photo:Facebook)

To the utter jubilation of all, the “miracle’ happened just ten days into the extension when Marwa opened her eyes smiling at her overwhelmed parents, defying a unanimous medical assessment by experts in the field. Her overjoyed mother has confirmed on Facebook that all the baby’s organs are functioning the way they are supposed to.

The footage, shared by her dad on Facebook, shows the baby react to his voice and even smile. Speaking to a local news website, the baby’s ecstatic father said, “Her treatment continues, but we see progress every day and that gives us a lot of hope…when I speak to her, she hears my voice, she reacts, sometimes even smiles.”

The doctors, however, are still concerned that she may never breathe independently and that she would struggle to walk or eat for the rest of her life – For the sake of Marwa and her family, of Algerian origin, let’s hope the doctors are wrong, in this case at least.

What is medically induced coma and why is it necessary?

When the brain swells up resulting from traumatic injuries or viruses like meningitis, it can be life-threatening. It can constrict blood supply and destroy additional brain tissue. When a patient is put in a medically induced coma or deep state of unconsciousness, the brain is able to rest and the swelling is more likely to decrease.

However, the time spent in induced coma depends on the disease or the kind of injury being treated. Whatever the case may be, induced coma should not exceed a maximum of two weeks after which chances of neurological complications, brain tissue damage, permanent disability, and even death can increase significantly.

Faith may not move mountains but it can result in miracles; Marwa’s return from induced coma bears testimony to the fact.